A Maid in 1913
by whovianpower
Summary: "Just Three Months." The Doctor had told her. Two months later, the Family found them. That leaves over 60 days in 1913, where Martha was a maid. It wasn't all low key. Martha has other stuff to deal with, like side effects, falling trees, discrimination, and an impossible girl. Follow Martha through these two months as a Maid in 1913. Before "Human Nature/Family of Blood".
1. Day 1

_**Just an idea I had. I'm working on other stories as well, so updates won't be as frequent. I also have school, which stinks, but I'll do my best. :)**_

_**REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED!**_

* * *

Day 1

Martha dashed into the TARDIS, the Doctor straight behind her. She yelped as a gun shot exploded into the TARDIS.

"Get down!" The Doctor yelled as another shot fired. He slammed the door and locked it. He turned around. "Did they see you?" he demanded, hurrying forward to help her up.

"I don't know!" Martha cried.

"But did they see you?"

"I don't know," Martha replied. "I was too busy running!"

The Doctor looked her in the eye. "Martha, it's important. Did they see your face?"

Martha thought for half a second. "No," she decided. "They couldn't have."

The Doctor let her gold and bolted to the console. He flicked a lever. "Off we go!"

The TARDIS whizzed off into the vortex. The Doctor looked at the scanner.

"Argh!" he shouted. "They're following us."

"How can they do that?" Martha cried. "We've got a time machine!"

"Stolen technology," the Doctor explained. "They've got a time agent's vortex manipulator. They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe. They're never gonna stop-" he stopped, running his fingers through his hair. "Unless..." Realization dawned on his face. "I'll have to do it." he turned to Martha and looked her right in the eye. "Martha, you trust me don't you?"

Martha stared at him. What a stupid question! "Of course I do."

"Because it all depends on you."

"What does?" Martha asked, confused. "What am I supposed to do?" The Doctor reached to the console and pulled something off it. He held it out; a silver, ornately decorated pocket watch.

"Take this watch, because my life depends on it. This watch, Martha," he said. "This watch, is me."

"Right, okay, gotcha," Martha said, taking the watch. Then she realized she didn't get a word he was saying. "No, wait, hold on. Completely lost."

"Those creatures are hunters." The Doctor said. "They can sniff out anyone, and me being a Time Lord, well, I'm unique." he pulled some levers. "They can track me down across the whole of time and space."

"Huh," Martha laughed at the hopelessness of it all. "And the good news is?"

"They can smell me, but they haven't seen me. And their life span'll be running out, so we hide. Wait for them to die."

"But they can track us down," Martha pointed out.

"That's why I've got to do it." He said, standing straight. "I've got to stop being a Timelord. I'm going to become human."

Martha opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

He pulled a lever and a headset descended from the ceiling. "I never thought I'd use this," the Doctor murmured. "All the times I've wondered."

"What does it do?" Martha asked.

"Chameleon Arch." The Doctor announced. "Rewrites my biology." He turned to look at her. "Literally changes every single cell in my body. I've set it to human."

He snatched the watch from her fingers and pressed it into the front of the head set. "Now, the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for me, find me a setting and integrate me. Can't do the same for you." he said, looking at her. "You'll just have to improvise. I should have just enough residual awareness to let you in."

"But, hold on," Martha realized. "If you're going to rewrite every single cell, isn't that going to hurt?"

"Oh, yeah," The Doctor nodded. "It hurts. But it's necessary."

Martha stared at him, as he continued to talk. Taking advantage of her silence, he sat in front of the console, and recited a list of instructions, his words being recorded to the TARDIS's database. After a few minutes of talking, the Doctor turned off the screen and approached Martha. To her surprise, he brought her into a tight hug.

"It's only for three months, Martha," the Doctor whispered.

"I know," Martha whispered.

"They're like Mayflies. It'll be over before you know it."

Martha didn't know what to say. She just hugged him back as hard as she could. After a moment, he pulled away, and started pulling switches on the console. He hurried over to the headset and stood under it. He glanced at her.

"Thank you," he said, as he lowered the headset down. "Goodbye, Martha."

The clamps pressed down on his temples and forehead as he gave her one last smile. There was a low buzzing as the machine went to life.

He started to scream.

Martha covered her mouth, her heart pounding as the Doctor screamed his throat raw. The machine had started up moments ago, and the Doctor had his eyes clamped shut tightly, face locked in a grimace, hands clutching his head as he screamed in pain.

It was horrible to watch, but Martha couldn't look away. She covered her eyes. "Doctor," she whispered.

A few minutes of horrible screaming passed before everything switched off and the Doctor collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Martha scrambled to his side and pressed her fingers to the side of his throat, feeling for the erratic double thump of his twin hearts. Instead, she felt the strong and steady beat of a single human heart.

He breathed lightly, lips slightly parted, a single human heart beating for the first time. Martha stroked his head as he lay there.

The screen on the console lit up with information on a man who didn't exist. His name, John Smith, was at the top of the list.

According to the scanner, they were going to 1913. The Doctor-no, John Smith-was a teacher at a school for boys.

"1913," she whispered as his words flashed through her mind.

I should have just enough residual awareness to let you in.

"Let me in," she whispered. "As what?"

A slight moan escaped from the Doctor's body. Martha turned her attention to him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Doc-" Martha stopped, eyeing the screen. "John?"

"Wha-"

"It's me, your-" she stopped, thinking for a moment. "Maid," she finished. "Martha Jones. I've worked for you for years."

"Mar...tha?" He whispered, his voice cracked and raw.

"Yes, it's me."

"What happened?"

"You," she whispered. "-fell?"

He glanced around the TARDIS, his eyes probably not even seeing properly.

"Are you alright?" Martha asked. The Doctor-No, No, John Smith-nodded slowly.

"I believe so," he murmured. Martha stiffened slightly, hearing his voice say a full sentence for the first time. Even his accent was different. She bit her lip.

"Come on, Mr. Smith," Martha said, pulling him to his feet. There was a whirling behind them. Martha spun around in surprise as two outfits on games descended from the ceiling. One, the-no-John's size, was a tweed suit for a school teacher. The other one was a black maid dress. John didn't seem to notice the clothes.

Martha reached for the suit and handed it to John, who took out without looking, his movements almost robotic. Martha pulled the maid dress off the hanger, and the rack elevated to the ceiling. She quietly thanked the TARDIS under her breath before turning to John.

"Mr. Smith," Martha said, trying to be as calm and maid-like as possible despite the circumstances. "If you would follow me to the restroom, you could can change."

"Yes," John murmured, sounding distracted. "Thank you."

Martha led him out of the console room and down the hall. The TARDIS looked to rearrange her interior, but thankfully, she put the bathroom right around the corner. John went inside, not making a sound to signal that he noticed how futuristic everything was. Martha hurried to her bedroom, which the TARDIS put the next room over, and quickly changed into her outfit. She scanned herself in the mirror, surprised at how different she looked. How 1913 she looked.

The sound of a door opening told her John was ready. She hurried into the hall to meet him, and led him back to the console room. She noted how John still looked faced and confused.

The thing was, Martha didn't know what to do next. She sat John in the chair in front of the scanner where he sat staring straight ahead without seeing anything. Martha went to the computer where a file was flashing at the screen. As soon as she sat down, it opened and started playing.

"Is this working? Martha, before I change, here's a list of instructions for when I'm human." The Doctor said. Martha realized all of this was just a repeat of what the Doctor had said moments before he changed. She re-watched it through, this time completely focused on what he was saying.

"One; Don't let me hurt anyone." he instructed. "We can't have that, but you know what humans are like. Two, don't worry about the TARDIS. I'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it. Just let it hide away. Four. No, wait a minute, three. No getting involved in big historical events. Four, you. Don't let me abandon you. And five, very important, five. Don't let me eat pears. I HATE pears. John Smith is a character I made up, but I won't know that. I'll think I am him and I might do something stupid like eat a pear. I don't want to wake up in three months to taste that."

Martha stifled a small laugh. He may have said that to make her laugh before the change, but he was probably serious. It made her want to laugh out loud even more.

The Doctor continued. "Six; When I wake up, I'm going to be a bit disoriented, so don't worry about that. Just take me out of the TARDIS and to the school. I'll come to my senses after I leave the TARDIS. The TARDIS will give you some credentials to help get him a job. He's knowledgeable in history." He smiled. "Your known history, not what I mess around with. When I get the job, have me get you employment as... well, you'll improvise."

He went on mentioning random things that she may have a question about. Finally, he finished up with number twenty-three.

"And twenty-three," he said. "If anything goes wrong, you know what to do. Open the watch. Everything I am is kept safe in there. Now, I've put a perception filter on it so the human me won't think anything of it. To him, it's just a watch. But don't open it unless you have to. Because once it's open, then the Family will be able to find me. It's all down to you, Martha. Your choice." he started getting up to finish preparing the Chameleon Ark, but sat down, remembering something. "Oh, and thank you." he smiled and the screen faded back to senseless Gallifreyan screen saver.

Martha glanced back at John, seeing he still did look disoriented. There was a beeping and Martha turned back to the console as some papers slid out of a slot she had never noticed before. She looked at them, seeing credentials.

"Psychic Paper," she whispered.

There was a tug at the back of her mind from the TARDIS, and Martha looked back at the Chameleon Ark, the torture device. The Fob Watch still hung clamped into place. Martha trudged over to it and pulled it off. She ran her fingers over the Gallifreyan writing on the front.

Somewhere, concealed inside of the metal clock, the Doctor's consciousness resided, asleep and waiting. She clutched the watch and turned to John.

"Mr. Smith?" she called walking up to him. She lightly shook him, and he seemed to come back to reality.

"Yes, yes, I'm here," he said slowly, still disoriented. "What do you need, Martha?"

"It's time to go to the school," she said. "To get a job."

He nodded slowly and stood up. Martha's eyes flashed to the screen as the address glowed in blue letters on it. Martha nodded to herself, and slowly led John out of the TARDIS, to their new life in 1913.

Wednesday, September 10th, 1913

John slowly became more aware of his surroundings, and was able to get the job at the school easily. Within a couple of hours, John had gotten Martha employment. The rest of the day whirled by as Martha watched the man who looked like the Doctor settle in his life of 1913.

Another maid who introduced herself as Jenny helped her find her new quarters and left her to sleep. The Doctor had landed late in the day, for when she first stepped foot in the school, the boys who learned there had settled down in their dormitories.

Martha stared up at the ceiling, the events of the day swirling through her head. This morning was just another morning in the TARDIS. She never imagined herself as a maid to a man she didn't know in 1913. The Doctor's promise flew through her head.

It's only for three months, Martha.

"Three months."

Martha slipped into sleep, unaware that Jenny would wake her up bright and early to begin work, working for less than minimum wage.

* * *

**_I live for reviews!_**


	2. Day 2

**Thursday, September 11th, 1913**

"Martha?"

Martha heard someone calling her name as she sat up groggily. There was a sharp knock on the wooden door at the end of the small room.

It took Martha a few minutes to remember the events of the day before, and when she did, she glanced to the side, where her maid dress lay folded up on top a small table besides her bed.

"Martha?" the voice called again. It took Martha a second to recognize the voice. It belonged to Jenny, the woman who had helped her find her room and get situated. "Martha, are you awake?"

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Well get ready quickly, the headmaster wants to see you before you get set to work." Work. She really had to do this. She was going to be a maid. "Martha?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna be out in a sec," Martha called, reaching for her maid uniform. "Just gotta get ready..."

She walked outside a few minutes later to see Jenny waiting outside. She smiled.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Martha murmured, following Jenny down the hallway.

They knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a low voice. Martha opened the door and the headmaster was on the other side.

"Hello, Ms. Jones," he said.

"Hello sir." Martha replied, trying to be as respectful as possible. He nodded in approval.

"Good. Now, Ms. Jones," he said turning towards the window. "You will be in charge of cleaning all of the rooms in the Western Wing with the help of Ms. Oswald and Ms. Anderson." Jenny's last name is Anderson, but she didn't know who Ms. Oswald was. "Mrs. Argots shall be in charge of your activities. Understand?"

"Thank you, Headmaster Rocastle," Martha said.

"You are dismissed." The headmaster said rather rudely. "Get to work."

* * *

Ms. Argots was a strict old stout woman with a long nose. Martha's first impression of her was that she was not someone to cross. She handed her a bucket and a sponge and sent her to a hallway in the western wing, where she met up with Jenny.

Jenny and Martha started chatting as they scrubbed the floor.

"So, have you got any family?" Martha asked.

"Got a brother I visit sometimes, after work," Jenny told her. "My mother and father's passed. Illness took them."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Martha replied, not sure how to answer that. Jenny just nodded.

"Thank you," she replied, scrubbing the floor. "What about you? Have you got any family?"

"Oh yes," Martha said. "Got a brother, Leo. Just turned 21. My sister's called Trish. Got a mom, dad. Dad's girlfriend." she added. Jenny looked surprised.

"Your parents divorced?" she asked. When Martha nodded, she said, "Where are you from? Because it must be different there. People 'round here don't get divorced to often."

"Yeah," Martha said.

"So where are you from?"

"Oh, a long way away," Martha said, remembering childhood experiences with her siblings. "A very long way away, actually."

She scrubbed the floor when something occurred to her. "Wait," Martha murmured. "Who's Oswald?"

"Oh, she's new, too." Jenny said. "Arrived not long before you. Out of the blue actually. Like you."

"No I wasn't out of the blue," Martha objected. "Mr. Smith got me the job. I worked for the family," she added, remembering the cover story she had made up.

"Put some back into it, girls," Ms. Argots cut in as she walked by. Martha shrugged and she and Jenny worked in silence.

* * *

Mr. Smith began teaching that same day. Martha watched him teaching for a couple of seconds as she walked by. It was weird seeing the Doctor wearing a graduation hat as he taught about previous wars and revolutions, reading from a book. Martha tried to continue with her work, but found it difficult. It has only been a day, but she missed the Doctor already, and seeing John Smith walking around in his body was making it worse.

When the day came to an end, Martha just wanted to retreat to her room with a good book. Jenny had decided to pay a visit to her brother in town, so Martha was by herself.

She left her room around dinner time to get dinner from the cooks. As she entered the kitchen, she nearly collided with another maid.

"Oh my g-d, I'm so sorry," she cried as she steadied Martha. Martha brushed herself off, apologizing as well.

The girl held her hand out.

"Hello, I'm Oswin," she said with a small smile.

"I'm Martha," she murmured. "Hey."

"Are you the new maid?"

"Yes."

"I'm new, too," Oswin said. "I'm Ms. Oswald, as someone probably introduced me at some point."

Martha smiled. They got dinner from the cook together, and chatted until Martha retired to bed.

Even though she had made two new friends, Martha still missed the Doctor. She found herself clutching the watch, running her fingers along the engravings. Her heart felt like our was about to split in two, and the thought of watching Mr. Smith walking around, living a life he wasn't meant to have seemed like more than Martha could handle. It took Martha a while, but she finally drifted off to sleep, the watch still clutched in her hand.


	3. Day 3

Friday, September 12, 1913

There was a loud knock at the door that jerked Martha back to awareness. She opened her eyes, finding herself still clutching the watch which held the Doctor's consciousness. She sat up and looked down at it, already missing the Doctor even though he technically was right there. She ran her thumb along the engravings when another sharp knock sounded on the door.

"Hold on, Jenny, I'll be right out," Martha called, placing the watch on the bedside table. As she reached for her maid outfit, a voice came through the door.

"It's Ms. Argots. Hurry up, you need to get breakfast for Mr. Smith."

"Mr. Smith?" Martha called. "Mr. John Smith?"

"Yes, you're his personal maid, are you not?"

"Yes I am," Martha called back, throwing her clothes on. Ms. Argots had gone by the time Martha had opened the door. She gave one last look at the watch, sitting on her bedside table before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

She knocked on the door of the study balancing a tray she got from the cook on her hand and knee.

"Come in," the Doctor's voice rang from inside the study. Martha gave herself a little shake.

This wasn't the Doctor. It was someone else.

"Good morning, sir," Martha murmured, setting the tray down on the table. John was already up and dressed, getting ready for teaching. He walked around near the bed, rummaging through the small shelf of books.

"Set it down there," he said, pointing to a small table. As Martha did as she was told, John slipped a large brown book out of the shelf and flipped it open. Out of the corner of her eye, Martha saw that the book was blank.

John narrowed his eyes before placing the book on his bed.

Martha went through the chores for Mr. Smith while he was there. He didn't say much to her other than the occasional command. As Martha opened up the blinds, she said, "Doc-Mr. Smith?" she mentally kicked herself for nearly calling him Doctor.

"Yes?"

"Er-" Martha murmured.

"Martha, please speak up," John said, taking a sip of tea.

"Er, I just want to thank you for getting me this job." Martha stammered, not looking at him.

"No problem, Martha," John said, sounding like the Doctor for a moment. The hint of the Doctor's tone made Martha's heart flutter. "You always were a good maid when you worked for my mother and father. Your mother was too."

Ok, now it's gone.

Good to know. John had a memory of her mother being a maid to him.

Martha finished her chores and left the room, missing the Doctor terribly.

* * *

After work, which lasted until nightfall and a bit beyond, Martha got to know Jenny and Oswin better. With a smile, the three young ladies decided to get something to drink at the local pub.

"So I haven't got any family, but I wanted to become a teacher, but at one of those really good schools," Oswin told them.

"Oh, really?" Jenny asked. "I had wanted to do something in law, but look at me now."

"Ya, don't you just wanna scream?" Martha asked. "Tell them? Tell them we have rights? What's to stop us from going to good schools and getting the jobs we want?"

Jenny and Oswin stared at her as if she was growing a second head.

"Are you kidding?" Oswin asked.

"Don't say that, you could start a riot," Jenny warned.

Martha's face fell.

"Ok," she murmured. "I don't really want anything from the pub, now. G'night, Jenny, Oswin."

She turned and took off in the opposite direction, ignoring her friends calling her name.

She ran into the school, to her room in the workers' quarters, and shut the door behind her.

She hated this place.

She hated this time.

She wanted the Doctor back.

Martha collapsed on her bed, reaching for the watch on her bedside table, to hold it close, when she realized something. As the clock struck midnight, and Friday became Saturday, Martha realized what was missing.

The watch was gone.


	4. Day 4

"Oh my g-d," Martha muttered, jumping off the bed. She tore through the drawers of her nightstand, looking for the important object. Her heart pounded so loud that it felt as if it were going to explode.

"Oh my g-d," she whispered again, getting on her hands and knees and feeling for it under the bed. She stood up and started pulling the covers off the bed, followed by the sheets. She reached in the pillowcases before flinging the pillows across the room. She felt on the windowsill for it. Her heart hammered as she felt in the pockets of her maid dress, and then her coat pockets. She dug through a large chest at the foot of her bed, which held clothes from the school, then felt along the floor under the table.

"Oh my g-d," she bit her lip, getting to her feet. She glanced at the clock which had just struck midnight before pushing her door open and shutting it hastily.

She hurried about as quietly as she could, searching everywhere she could think of around the school, without disturbing anyone. She occasionally passed someone in the corridors, and they threw her dirty looks as she hurried by.

She went back to her room, the clock just striking 1AM. She breathed heavily as she grabbed her coat and slipped it on. She felt under her mattress for the watch one more time before barging out of her room.

She nearly collided with a couple of women in the hallway.

"Blimey, Martha!" Oswin exclaimed. "Be careful!"

Jenny steadied herself and saw her face. "Martha, are you alright?"

Martha, nearly in tears, pushed past them without saying anything, ignoring them saying her name. Martha rubbed her eyes as she hurried down the stairs and out the school entrance. Tears beginning to fall, she ran off into the woods.

* * *

The key had been around her neck as it always was when she pushed into the small shack hiding the TARDIS. She slipped the thread over her head, and used the key attached to it to unlock the TARDIS doors. They opened easily and she ran inside. Her heart lurched in sadness as she saw the Doctor's trench coat hanging off a column of the console room. She hurried to it, and stuck her hand in the pockets, searching for the watch. When she didn't find it, she hurried about the console room, checking every nook and cranny she could think of. She burst into her TARDIS bedroom, and starting throwing things around, as if hoping the watch had teleported to the TARDIS.

"Oh my g-d!" She cried, throwing her hands up in the air and collapsing onto her bed. Her heart hammered and tears slipped down her cheek.

She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than for the Doctor to come back.

* * *

Martha blinked tiredly, pulling her pillow out from under her head. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, taking in some of her surroundings. She was in her bedroom on the TARDIS. Something about that fact made her stomach drop.

Why was waking up on the TARDIS weird? And why was she fully clothed?

All at once, the events from the past few days came rushing back to her. Her heart hammering, she threw herself off the bed.

How could she had fallen asleep?! Especially with the watch missing?!

She breathed heavily, all the panic from the night before weighing on her as she burst out the TARDIS. The doors automatically locked behind her as she pushed the door to the shack open.

She was blinded with light as the door opened. She covered her eyes, walking blindly. She stumbled forward.

"Ouch!" she cried, stumbling backwards, rubbing her nose. She opened her eyes, seeing the tree in front of her.

"I hate 1913," Martha murmured. She was suddenly aware of how cold she was, despite the fact that she still wore her large overcoat from the night before. Rubbing her nose, she started half walking, half running back into the direction of the school.

* * *

"Martha!"

Martha spun around, her eyes falling on two young women, rushing towards her.

"Martha!" Jenny exclaimed. "What happened to you last night?"

Martha shook her head.

"What time is it?" she asked. Oswin shrugged.

"I dunno, sometime after nine?"

"Nine?" Martha repeated. It was that late?

"But what happened to you?" Oswin questioned. "You ran out in the middle of the night and disappeared off into the woods!"

"I lost something," she said after a moment, not sure how to explain it. "I've gotta find it." She spun on her heals and tried to stalk off in the other direction, but Jenny grabbed her arm.

"What could be so important that you ran off like that?"

Martha shook her head. "I can't explain it."

"Martha, what was it?" Oswin asked.

Martha shook her head, worried that the tears would start flowing again.

"It was a fob watch."

"A fob watch?" Jenny repeated. "All this over a fob watch?" Martha nodded solumly. Jenny shook her head. "Why are you so upset over a fob watch? You can go into town for another one."

"It's special!" Martha said, tearing her arm from Jenny's grasp. "It's the most important thing I own, and it was taken from my room!"

The mouths of the two women fell open.

"You understand why I've got to find it," Martha asked. Jenny nodded.

"We'll help you," Oswin confirmed. "What did it look like?"

* * *

For the rest of the day, in every moment of free time, Jenny and Oswin helped Martha search for the missing watch. Their help didn't help, because as Martha went to sleep that night, the watch was missing from its place on her nightstand.


	5. Day 5

Sunday, September 14th, 1913

Martha groaned as she slowly woke up. Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her back, trying to rid herself of the cramps it had. Maid beds were extremely uncomfortable, and she was so sick of them. Martha glanced at her nightstand, noting the lack of the watch's presence. It had been missing for two days, and Martha was worried she was giving up hope of ever finding it.

There was a sharp knock on the door that caused Martha to jump.

"Martha?" came Oswin's voice from behind it. "Martha? Are you awake?"

"Yeah," Martha replied.

"Can I come in?"

Martha looked down at herself, seeing she was still in pajamas. She shrugged. Oswin was her friend. She stood up, and walked across the room to the door, turning the lock. She opened it. The first thing she saw was a smile on Oswin's face.

"What are you so happy about?" Martha asked, slightly surprised.

"I asked around, and one of the maids for the north wing, Abby, told me she saw someone come into your room."

Martha's eyes widened.

"Who?"

"One of the students, Alexander Jacobs."

Martha's heart began to pound. Could the watch soon be in her grasp?

"Do you think he still has it?"

Oswin's grin widened. "There's only one way to find out."

Martha laughed happily. "Let's go, then!" As she tried to step into the hallway, Oswin put her hand out. Martha's face fell. "What?" Oswin bit her lip, as if trying not to laugh.

"You might want to get dressed first," she suggested. Martha looked down at her pajamas and looked back at Oswin with slight embarrassment shown on her face, which only seemed to make Oswin laugh harder.

"Get out," Martha snapped, shutting the door in Oswin's face like a joking friend would. As she pulled on her dress, Martha could still hear Oswin laughing behind the door while she waited for Martha to come out.

* * *

"So where is Alexander Jacob's dormitory?" Martha asked as they hurried down a corridor, Oswin leading the way. "And what would he want with an old fob watch from a maid's room?"

"He's in the north wing where Abby works," Oswin replied. "And you'll have to ask him that."

When they reached his dormitory, Martha landed two sharp knocks on the wood.

Since it was Sunday, the boys had at least the morning off. And it was getting late, so the boys should be up by that time.

When there was no answer, Martha knock on the door again. This time, the door swung open, and a young boy looked back at them. Seeing Martha, he said, "What do you want?"

"Excuse me," Martha said, trying to hold her composure despite his rudeness. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but if Alexander Jacobs is in here, could I please talk to him?"

The boy looked her over suspiciously. "Why?"

"Please, just let me talk to him."

The boy rolled his eyes before turning back into the room and calling, "Alex! A maid would like to talk to you!" he turned back to Martha and Oswin. "You don't even need to return the little cow if you don't want to."

The boy turned away, and walked back into the room. He was replaced by a really short boy, who looked much younger than the first, about 14.

"What?"

"Are you Alexander?" Martha asked. The boy nodded slowly.

"Yeah, that's me. What do you want?"

Martha took a deep breath. Wow, these boys are brats.

"Well, you see, I'm Martha Jones, and this is my friend, Oswin Oswald." She pointed at Oswin. "Something of mine was recently stolen. It was a fob watch, and it is very important to me. One of the other maids said she saw you going into my room." The boy suddenly looked uncomfortable. "You don't happen to have gone into my room and taken the watch off the bedside table, have you? If you did, could I have it back?"

"Why should I?" Alexander snapped. "Why should you have it back? With skin of your color, you shouldn't even be allowed to have possessions." Martha felt her face go red. She opened her mouth to shoot back a less-than-polite-response at him, but suddenly remembered where and when she was. She shut her mouth, biting her tongue slightly to control her words.

"Could I please just have it back?" Martha asked a bit more forcefully.

"No," the boy snapped. "Give me one good reason why I should?"

Martha huffed. This was harder than she had pictured.

"What do you even want with the watch, anyway?" Oswin broke in, seeing Martha's control slipping. Alexander's expression suddenly changed, and he hung his head.

"I apologize for my rudeness," Alexander said quietly. Martha opened her mouth in confusion as he turned around, and shut the door behind him, leaving Martha and Oswin standing in an empty corridor, exchanging confused expressions.

Before either one of them could say anything, they heard jeering and loud talking from behind the walls.

"You coward!" said one voice from inside the room. A few seconds later, the door opened and Alexander reappeared. He held his hand out, fingers uncurling to reveal the fob watch, the very watch in which the Doctor's consciousness resided. A large relieved expression lit up on Martha's face as she grabbed the watch, perhaps a bit too quickly. Alexander's hand jerked back. He watched Martha with slight confusion as she traced the Gallifreyan words carved into the surface with her thumb.

"Thank you," Martha whispered, clutching the watch in her hand.

While the watch was still cold, she felt like she could still feel the Doctor's double heart beat inside the watch, thumping away lightly in her hand. She knew it was probably her imagination, because after a few seconds, she couldn't feel the heart beats anymore.

"Thank you," she whispered again. Alexander hung his head.

"I am sorry for stealing your watch," he said.

"Then why did you do it?" Oswin asked, still sounding a bit angry. The jeers could still slightly be heard in the room, and Alexander stepped out in the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

"Did it have something to do with the boys in your dorm?" Martha asked. Alexander nodded slowly.

"They threatened to ruin my precious possessions if I didn't do something bad. They told me if I stole something from someone, they would leave my possessions alone." He hung his head. "You forgot to lock your door." he whispered. "I brought the watch back, and they said it would do. It's been sitting on the table in the middle of the room since I took it. I am terribly sorry for my behavior, and I wouldn't blame you if you reported me to the headmaster."

"That was on you, sir," Oswin scolded. "Yes, we are-"

"We won't tell," Martha broke in, putting a look of confusion on Oswin's face. "You won't get in trouble."

"But, Martha," Oswin reasoned. "He broke into your room and stole the most important thing you own. Why wouldn't we get him in trouble?"

"Because, I know what it is like to be bullied," Martha snapped. To Alexander, she said, "Bullies only bully to make others feel bad about themselves. It gives them power. Stand up to them, that power is taken away, and they'll stop. You just need to stand up to them." Next to her, Oswin's expression changed to one of great admiration.

Alexander smiled a bit.

"Thank you, Martha," he said, turning around and reaching for the door knob. "I hope I'll see you again."

"See you around, Alexander," Martha replied. He stepped into the dorm room, shutting the door behind him. As Martha shaped the engravings on the watch, the jeers from the room started up again, but this time, interrupted by a small strong voice, the voice of Alexander, defending himself.

* * *

The day passed quickly, and before Martha knew it, she was off her evening shift of work. She sat on her bed, still clutching the watch in her hand, trying to see if she could feel the Doctor's double heart beat from within. She couldn't.

She was more relieved than she had ever been in her life, but worried at the same time.

Alexander had stolen from her, and she wasn't mad, but it still gave her great worry. She was just a maid, and to most people in this time, she was lesser than them. A maid of her color was very likely to get stolen from. This could happen again, and if it did, she may never see the watch again.

Martha looked down at the watch, wishing she could open it, wishing she could see the Doctor in his body, wishing he could whisk her away from this place. A tear built up behind her eyes before slipping quietly down her cheek.

The fact about the perception filter on the watch crossed her mind as she stared at the watch. She sniffed, realizing what she had to do.

* * *

It wasn't that late in the evening, but it was late enough that everyone was in their dormitories for the night. That was why, when she knocked on the door with the words J. Smith engraved into it, John Smith opened it quickly.

He held a book in his hand, a thick leather bound journal, which still looked new.

"Yes, Martha?" he asked. Martha flinched slightly, not enough for John to notice, though. The change in the Doctor's voice still needed some getting used to. "What do you need?"

"Er- sir," she said, still rubbing her thumb over the watch she clutched in her hand. "I found something of yours that accidently got mixed up with my things." Slowly, she held the watch out to him. "I believe this belongs to you."

John looked at her with a confused expression on her face, looking at the watch as if he had difficulty even seeing it. Slowly, he lifted it from her hand. He looked at it, his eyes slightly confused. "Thank you, Martha," he said slowly. Without saying anything, he turned around, walking into his room. Without opening the watch, or even looking at it properly, John placed the watch on the mantel over his fireplace. He turned and looked at Martha as if just realizing she was still there. He coughed slightly before responding.

"Good night," he said, sounding like John Smith again now that the watch wasn't in his hand. "Please shut the door behind you."

And that was that. Martha closed the door, and turned on the spot. Tears that had been building behind her eyes started slithering down her cheek as her one connection with the Doctor that still remained was severed.


	6. Day 6

**Monday, September 15th, 1913**

Today, Martha managed to get up and dressed before anyone came to wake her. As she opened the door to go get John Smith's food, she nearly walked smack into Jenny.

"Sorry!" Martha cried, as the two women steadied each other. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Jenny replied, a smile on her face. "I'm so glad you got your watch back. Oswin told me."

"I am, too," Martha told her. "Got it somewhere safe this time. Not gonna let this happen again." She smiled. "Now, I need to go get Mr. Smith's breakfast, but I'll see you later."

"Good bye, Martha," Jenny replied, and the two women parted ways.

* * *

Martha knocked on the door of Mr. Smith's study, balancing the tray in one hand while she did so.

"Come in," came John's Smith's voice, slightly strained. Martha, not noticing anything unusual, opened the door. She walked into the room, spinning on her heels when she saw John just pulling his blanket off his body.

"I'm so sorry, sir, you're not dressed yet," she apologized. "I can come back later."

"No, no," he said, sitting up in his bed slowly. "It's ok, just put it down."

He sat up, grunting slightly in the process while Martha put the tray down on the small table. Martha glanced in his direction, seeing his efforts to do the simplest thing.

"Sir, are you alright?"

He clenched his eyes shut, placing his hand on his forehead, covering his eyes. "I am not actually sure," he said. "Spinning headache." He moved his hand away, and blinked several times, looking around as if he didn't recognize the place.

"Mr. Smith?" Martha said. He didn't reply, just looked around confused. "Mr. Smith?" Martha stood up straight, staring at John, who shook his head vigorously.

"I'm fine," he said. Slowly, he began to stand. Martha watched him, very concerned. He stood up straight, holding onto the side of his bed for support.

"Sir, I'm not sure you're well," Martha said.

"No, no, I'm fine," John repeated. But as soon as he let go of the bed, his legs gave out from under him. He fell on the bed, the back of his head slapping the wall rather hard.

"Doctor!" Martha cried, not even thinking about her mistake as she hurried across the room to him. His eyes were closed, as he leaned against the wall. For the first time, Martha noticed he was breathing heavily, and as soon as she touched his skin, he felt the heat of fever radiating from it.

Medical instincts kicking in, Martha helped Mr. Smith lay down on the bed the correct way. She took his pulse and found it racing. Luckily, he didn't have a concussion. Her heart pounded as she looked around the room, realizing that she had nothing that would help her. She also didn't know much about the type of medical treatments they had in 1913. She had no choice. She needed help.

She hurried into the hallway, searching for someone to help her. There was nobody in the area. Martha looked up and down the hallway, before hurrying back inside the room.

She searched for things she could use to help John, finding nothing. None of the books in his book case had anything to do with medicine. There was nothing of use on his desk or on the table. The only thing she thought of was opening the watch, but she knew that wasn't a good idea. A, the family would find them, and B, what use was the Doctor in the body of a sick man?

She ran into the hallway, smacking into someone.

"Martha?" said Oswin. "Are you alright?"

"Martha?" came Jenny's voice.

Martha couldn't even begin to acknowledge how relieved she was to see her friends.

"Guys, I need your help," she exclaimed. "The D-John-er, Mr. Smith is sick, and I need to get him to the school infirmary."

Jenny and Oswin hurried into the room after her, their mouths falling open at the sight of him.

"No, we can't move him," Martha decided. Turning to Jenny, she said, "I need you to get the matron."

Jenny nodded, and hurried out the room. Martha turned to Oswin.

I need a wet cloth, a cold wet cloth," she said. "It'll help with the headache."

Oswin nodded, worry showing on her face as she hurried out of the room to grab a cloth. She was back with one in moments.

Martha took the cool water from the tray and poured some onto the cloth. Then she placed it on John's forehead, over his eyes.

A few moments later, the Matron walked in with Jenny trailing behind her.

Martha explained what she saw to Matron Redfern, who nodded, and opened her bag.

"I will take care of him from here," she said. "Return to work, please."

Jenny and Oswin left the room quickly, Martha following. She wanted to stay, but couldn't think of an excuse for Matron to allow that.

* * *

The rest of the day passed slowly. John remained in the infirmary, his condition worsening. From what Martha had heard, no one knew exactly what was wrong with him. Martha herself didn't even know, and as she went to sleep, her heart pounded with worry. If anything happened to John, Martha would never see the Doctor again.


	7. Day 7

**Tuesday, September 16th, 1913**

The day slowly dragged by. John remained in the infirmary for the night and remained in the same condition the next morning. Martha could barely do her work. She had been positioned here to look after John Smith, but there he was in the infirmary while Martha was forced to do house chores for incredibly racist and bratty boys. Martha should be by John's side, but of course, she was just a house maid. A stupid, unimportant housemaid, as some of the worst boys would like to put it.

She did her morning duties, scrubbing the floor, washing clothes, polishing dishware, etcetera. She barely said anything the entire time, not even when a group of boys hit her (metaphorically) with their daily insults and dumped her bucket of water over, giving her more work as she soaked the spilled liquid up.

The entire day, she didn't say a word to Jenny or Oswin. Every time they saw her, they'd exchange worried glances, but never bothered asking Martha what was wrong, as they already knew. Of course, they didn't know just how much it bothered her, since her travels with him were unknown to everyone.

Martha snuck up to her bedroom as often as she could, just to sit on her bed and stroke the cover of the watch. After John had collapsed and the Matron was looking over him, Martha had took the watch off the mantle and slipped it into her pocket for safe-keeping. While John Smith was away, it probably would have been way too easy for a boy to sneak in and steal it, as Alexander had done. She didn't feel safe enough to carry the watch with her while she did her work, but she was sure to slip the watch under her mattress and lock the door before she left for the day.

Martha considered opening the watch then. John Smith was ill, and since he was (or rather, used to be) and alien, the Matron probably wasn't going to be able to do anything to help him. If the Doctor came back, he might know what to do. Martha quickly shut away the idea; if the Doctor came back and didn't know what to do, his condition might worsen with the change that would occur to his body. Besides, had she opened the watch, the Family would have been able to find them, which would cause even more problems. So with some hesitation, she slipped the watch under her mattress and walked out of the door, locking it once it was shut.

Just as she made excuses to visit her bedroom so she could hold the watch (and wrestle with herself over the idea of opening it), Martha made excuses to wander through the hall connected to the infirmary so she could peek through the window at John in passing. She managed to go through the hall about three times before she deemed the dead unsafe (since school boys began wandering through after classes), and each time she saw him, he just looked the same.

A burly looking man took John's place in his classroom as a substitute. Martha saw him when she passed by the room and at lunch time when she served him some food. She didn't let this worry her. Whenever someone was the least bit sick, they'd hire a substitute. There was nothing to be worried about by him.

Finally, quitting time arrived, and Martha took off her maid outfit in exchange for some more comfortable clothes, or at least, as comfortable as clothes from 1913 can get. She walked out of her room (locking it of course), and started down the hall when someone called her name.

"Martha?" Jenny called. Martha turned around and saw Jenny. Like Martha, she had changed her clothes. Oswin, who appeared behind Jenny, had done the same.

"Where are you going, Martha?" Oswin asked as she and Jenny hurried to her.

"I'm going to visit Jo—" she cleared her throat. "Mr. Smith."

Jenny and Oswin exchanged looks, and Oswin said, half stuttering, "A-are you sure that is a good idea?"

Martha raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you aren't exactly friend or family," Jenny said. She seemed to be picking her words as carefully as possible. "You work for him. While Oswin and I think it is kind, others may think it's improper."

Martha felt her temper starting to boil. "So I am not allowed to visit the man who got me a job in a time of illness? He doesn't have any family! No brothers, no sisters, his parents died a while back. He's new here, so he has no friends, so the least it seems I could do is visit Mr. Smith!"

Her friends looked kind of shocked at her outburst. Oswin opened and closed her mouth, not sure what to say, while Jenny tried again. "We're just saying—"

"Well, I don't care what you say!" Martha snapped. "I'm going, and you can't stop me."

And with that, Martha turned on her heels and stalked off down the hall. Her raised voice had earned a few looks from a few maids, but since most were out for the night, Martha didn't care. Jenny and Oswin stayed back, watching her leave.

* * *

Martha knocked on the infirmary door and waited. It was a couple minutes before the Matron opened it.

"Hello," Martha said. "Ma'am," she added for good measures. The Matron scanned her with some recognition.

"And you would be… Martha?"

Martha nodded. "Yes, I was the one that found Mr. Smith. And—" she cleared her throat. "I was wondering if I could pay him a visit, as I did work for his family all my life."

The Matron bit her lip and looked back. "I suppose a few minutes wouldn't hurt." She opened the door all the way and allowed Martha through. She walked in hesitantly, keeping her head down.

"He's over there," the Matron told her, pointing towards the back of the infirmary. Martha nodded.

"Thank you." She hurried over.

"Just don't make it too long," the Matron said. She turned and walked into her office.

Martha stopped at the foot of his bed and looked at him. John's eyes were closed, but moved back and forth, signaling that he was having a dream. There were small beads of sweat on his forehead, but other than that, he just looked like he was sleeping.

Martha risked approaching him. The Matron didn't come out of her office, so Martha reached down and held his hand for a moment.

And just for a moment, the feeling of his fingers around her's reminded her of their travels, and just fueled the aching in her heart. She just wanted the Doctor back even more.

Martha decided not to risk the Matron seeing her hold his hand, so she released it. It flopped back onto the bed. John didn't wake because of it.

The Matron announced her presence a few minutes later by calling Martha's name. She turned.

"I think it would be best if you left now," the Matron said, walking over to John. She placed her fingers on his wrist, and Martha knew she was taking his pulse.

"Is he going to be alright?"

The Matron spared her a glance, and was silent for a moment to say, "His pulse is a bit fast. He doesn't wake up very often. I'm thinking that the next time he does, I will have him tell me how to contact his family, since there isn't much I can do. He's just sick. I think its best for him to go home."

Martha didn't say anything for a minute. Then she said, "He doesn't have any family."

"I'm sorry?"

"His mum and dad died a while back, and he doesn't have any siblings."

The Matron nodded. "I will figure something out. Anyhow, there is no way he can teach, and I doubt he will for a while."

Martha nodded in understanding.

"I think I will go," she decided. "Thank you for letting me visit."

She hurried out of the room before the Matron could say anything.

* * *

Oswin and Jenny didn't talk to her as she got some dinner from the kitchens. She had passed them, and they said nothing. She saw them exchange worried and slightly hurt glances, and Martha began to regret how she had spoken to them earlier. They were her friends. They had just been worried about her and she snapped at them as if they were misbehaving dogs.

The regret got heavier as she finished her food and went back to her room. After a minute of fumbling with the keys, she went inside and shut the door.

Out of habit, she took the watch out from under her mattress and stroked the metal cover of it. Oh how much she wanted to open it and let the Doctor out. But she knew she couldn't. There was no absolute reason for it.

Martha didn't know what to do. As she laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, nothing came to her. She gripped the watch tightly and held it close to her chest. A tear slid down her cheek.

She fell asleep with the watch in her hand.

* * *

_**I LIVE FOR REVIEWS**_


	8. Day 8

**Wednesday, September 17th, 1913**

Martha woke up with the watch still in her hand. She had maintained a tight grip on the watch through the entire night, which left cramps in her fingers. She sat up, placing the watch in her lap, and she massaged her fingers. Then, she stood up and put the watch under her bed once more. She changed quickly and went out of her room.

After a rushed breakfast, Martha went to receive her bucket of water and a sponge and proceeded to her work space.

When she arrived, she saw the Oswin and Jenny were already there, scrubbing the floor as hard as possible. Oswin glanced up at Martha, her eyes returning to her work quickly, but Jenny's gaze never left her sponge, which she moved back and forth across the floor.

Wordlessly, Martha sat herself down next to Oswin, who was closest. She didn't say a word as Martha began to scrub.

The three worked side by side in silence for a few minutes. Martha stole glances at Oswin and Jenny to see if they were looking at her. Martha wondered if they were pretending she wasn't there. Or perhaps, they just didn't want to be the first to speak.

Martha cleared her throat, breaking the silence. Oswin flinched a little.

"Hello," Martha murmured awkwardly. She stole a look at Oswin, who opened her mouth. Nothing came out. Jenny had stopped scrubbing, and was still, as if waiting for Martha to speak again. Martha chewed the inside of her mouth before speaking again. "I'm really sorry for how I was acting yesterday," she said. "I was just a bit upset."

"About Mr. Smith," Jenny said. It wasn't a question.

Martha nodded slightly. "I'm just worried about him. I've known him all my life. He got me this job."

Oswin didn't look up from her work. "So did you go visit him?" she asked quietly.

Martha nodded slightly. "There was no change. He was just the same as when we found him." She looked up at Oswin and Jenny. "Do you forgive me?"

Oswin and Jenny exchanged glances before looking back at Martha and smiling.

"Of course," Oswin said.

"It's alright," Jenny added.

Martha smiled at her friends. She was about to say something when a teacher walked by and saw them talking.

"Less chat, more work," the teacher snapped. Martha put her head down and started scrubbing again. She didn't look up until she heard the man walk away.

They worked in silence.

* * *

John Smith was still the same when Martha retired to her bedroom. The sun had already set when she had changed into her night clothes and was lying down on her bed with the watch in her hand again. She was beginning to think that John Smith would never get better, which meant that she would never see the Doctor again.

She once again rejected the idea of opening the watch. There was still time. Martha had to do something before giving up. If she let the Doctor out, then the Family would find them. That would just make matters worse.

Martha stared up at the ceiling, rubbing the cover of the watch, the cold metal casket that held the Doctor within. She chewed on her lip, trying to think of something.

The hours dragged by. Jenny and Oswin had checked in to wish her a good night, but other than giving a short reply, Martha didn't speak for the rest of the night.

The clock was ticking slowly it seemed. She glanced at it every once in a while. As midnight approached, Martha was becoming weary.

She didn't visit John that day. She thought that if she saw the Doctor's face sick like that, it would just make her cry. But the rumors she heard circling through the school said that they were considering sending him to a hospital, as he had no family to take care of him, and there was not much more that the matron could do. Martha was becoming very, very worried. Should they move John then there was no way she would be able to see him, since she needed to stay at the school for her job. It would be bad if she lost him. Not just bad, absolutely, positively, horribly, terribly catastrophic. She didn't know what she would do.

Midnight was approaching, and Martha opened her drawer and stuck the watch inside for safekeeping. She rolled over onto her pillow, wishing so much that she could see the Doctor again. She wished she could run with him again, traveling through all of time in space in his bigger on the inside blue box. How she missed the TARDIS…

She sat up suddenly. Her mouth dropped open.

How could she be so stupid? How could she not have thought of it before? The TARDIS! The video the Doctor left for her!

She jumped out of bed and changed quickly. She grabbed the watch from her drawer and bolted out of her bedroom right as her bedside clock struck midnight, and church bells began bonging in the distance.


End file.
